


The Stag That Tamed the Beast

by PastelRaccoon



Category: Persona 4, Persona 4: Dancing All Night - Fandom, Persona Series
Genre: F/M, First Date, Fluff, Rare Pair, Romantic Fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-04
Updated: 2019-10-11
Packaged: 2020-11-23 09:08:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,310
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20889620
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PastelRaccoon/pseuds/PastelRaccoon
Summary: After Nozomi gained some courage, she convinced herself to ask out Kanji on a date. Needless to say, he was rather surprised when the timid idol asked him out since he wasn't exactly someone girls fell for...





	1. Phone Call

The sound of knitting needles clacking together was the only sound that filled Kanji’s room one calm, cool summer morning. He was humming a soft tune to himself as he skillfully moved the yarn between his fingers and the needles. It was late into the season and fall was just on the horizon, so he was working on making hats and scarves to put in the textile shop. He already had amassed a small pile of knitted goods that sat atop his desk against the wall.

His concentration was soon broken by a knocking on his front door. His brow furrowed as he frowned from the interruption, but it couldn’t be helped. He stood up from the floor with a grunt then a sigh before heading towards the door. Another knock sounded as he left his room. “Hold your horses! I’m comin’! Sheesh…”

“What d’ya want?” He grouchily answered the door while scratching the back of his head. The mail carrier blinked in stunned silence before shaking his head and tipping his cap in a friendly gesture.

“I’m looking for a Kanji Tatsumi?”

“Yeah? That’s me…” Kanji looked surprised as he held out an envelope towards him. He blinked once or twice then took the parcel with a slight bow. The delivery man tipped his hat once more before bidding him a ‘good day!’ and rushing off to finish his route.

He dropped himself down heavily onto the couch of his living room, a grunt coming from his throat. He rested the letter onto his lap and rubbed his face. Maybe he needed a break from his knitting anyways. He sank lower into the cushions, wondering who it was from, before looking at the sender’s name and address. The address was unfamiliar, but the name he recognized. It read Nozomi Nakahara. With that, Kanji shot up and hunched over with his elbows on his knees.

_‘Nozomi? That one idol girl from Kanamin Kitchen? What would she want with me? How’d she even get my address?'_ Question after question buzzed around his skull like angry wasps. He flicked a thumb against the corner of it, his mouth dry and making him feel like he needed to cough. He cleared his throat once before he finally, gingerly, tore the letter open. A very pale pink piece of paper was inside and he could see ink from a pen had barely seeped through it. A light, flowery scent seemed to cling to the message that made Kanji’s head swim. He could feel his cheeks rush with blood; the color of his skin matched the sweet scented letter. After swallowing hard against the lump rapidly forming in his throat, he opened the paper to read what was written on it.

Her handwriting was neat and precise, almost delicate. The swirling twists of the cursive letters were almost hypnotizing. He vigorously shook his head as he continued to get distracted by frivolous details before refocusing with a serious expression. His eyes locked onto the words with new determination. _’I’m not some frickin’ lovestruck girl! Focus man!’_

_Dear Kanji:_  
_I’m writing to you because I can’t stop thinking about how you went out of your way to help save Kanamin Kitchen and me from… Whatever that was during the LMB Festival. I’m grateful; extremely so. And I couldn’t help but--_ The next sentence was surprisingly scribbled out and looked like a gash among the pleasant writing. _Sorry, I should just get to the point. I wanted to thank you and see if you wanted to spend some time together? Please let me know by texting the number I left you. Hope to hear from you soon!  
-Nozomi_

Kanji’s mouth fell open in stunned awe. An invitation to spend the day with Nozomi? He hadn’t seen her since his last visit to the studio to see Rise and help with her wardrobe. He would occasionally help with designs as the studio was slightly understaffed at the moment. She was still rather soft and easily spooked when Rise, Nozomi, the rest of the Kanamin Kitchen girls, and himself would take breaks. Despite that, she’d still warmly smile when he was around. Although, she would flinch now and again if he got just a bit too loud.

He snapped out of reminiscing to dig his phone out of his pocket, soon staring at the blank screen. The blonde took a deep breath to steady himself, unlocking the phone, then punched in the number that was provided on the paper.

* * *

Nozomi was huffing loudly as she practiced alongside Tomoe, Sumomo, Tamami, and of course, Kanami inside the large studio. It wasn’t long before the song finally trailed off and they were all in their final poses. Their dance instructor nodded approvingly with his arms crossed over his chest. “Alright girls, I think that’s enough for today! You all did absolutely wonderful! Get some rest and enjoy the next few days off!”

Each girl beamed with pride before waves of exhaustion washed them away. One by one, they dropped heavily on the cushioned bench pressed against the far wall. Sweat clung to the skin of Nozomi’s forehead and neck. Her bangs were sticking to her skin while she dug into her bag to retrieve a small towel and water bottle from the other contents. She drug the cloth over her face to wipe away the perspiration while taking a large gulp of water.

“Hey, what are you guys planning on doing on our days off?” Sumomo’s thick accent cut through the silence with an excited hint behind her voice. “We could all hang out together! We’ve been practicing non-stop for days!”

Tomoe gave a nervous chuckle before bashfully replying, “Well, I was planning on catching up on the ever growing pile of manga I have stockpiled. Sorry Sumomo…”

Her pleading eyes turned to Tamami as she waited for an answer. “I was actually gonna come back down here and get in some more practice on my own.” The answer was a touch cold, but she wasn’t exactly malicious with its intent. She was just absorbed in trying her best to climb the idol ranks.

A defeated sigh fell from the smallest member’s lips. “And I know Kanami has another photoshoot. Man, you have too many of those!” Kanami let out a short, apologetic laugh, rubbing the back of her head. Sumomo looked ready to give up before her eyes lit up.

“Unless…” She took a step forward towards Nozomi, eyes sparkling. “What about you Nozomin? You’re usually free, right? We can totally go out to do some shopping or something!”

“I-I…” The brunette’s voice trailed off with a stutter. It wasn’t the fact she didn’t want to spend time with her friend, not at all. She bit at the corner of her lip and began fidgeting and picking at her nails. “I was kind of… Hoping to hear back from someone soon… About hanging out.”

Once she said that, all eyes locked onto her with surprised expressions all around. It caused her face to flush red with embarrassment and her throat to go dry despite the water she just recently consumed. Her muscles tensed in her shoulders, causing a dull, aching pain to begin. She braced herself for the sudden onslaught of questions.

“Who is it? Is it someone we know?”

“Did you ask them, or did they ask you?”

“How’d you get the courage to ask ‘em if you did?”

The questions were rapid-fired her way and it nearly bowled her over with their excitement. Nozomi did not realize how just her wanting to hang out with someone other than the girls would trigger such a reaction. None of them were clearly upset, especially Sumomo who asked her to make plans with her in the first place. However, almost as if they rehearsed it beforehand, all of the girls grinned before going, “We’re so proud of you!”

The timid girl blinked in utter shock at the praise from her few friends. It caused a bright smile to form on her face, tears beading up in the corners of her eyes. She hurriedly swiped at them with the back of her hand and gave a small, light sniffle before she nearly jumped out of her skin when her phone suddenly buzzed loudly within her bag.

She rushed back to her belongings almost feverishly while holding her breath, simultaneously hoping it was and wasn’t from who she was expecting. Her whole body tensed as the number went unrecognized. Closing her eyes, she pressed the green button to answer and brought the phone to her ear. “Hello?”

“Hey, yeah, this Nozomi?” Kanji’s rough voice came through clear as day across the phone and her muscles only tensed even further.

“Yes, that’s me! U-Um, I thought I asked you to text me… Kanji-kun.” As soon as she uttered his name, she could feel her face and ears catch fire from her blush. The other girls huddled around, each one trying to catch a glimpse of the conversation on Kanji’s end. She felt like she was being crushed.

“I was gonna, but I was never really that great at texting. Thought it’d be easier to just ask ya when ya wanted to hang out.” He sounded so… Calm. It frustrated her a little bit, but she persevered.

“Ah, I see. Well, I suppose that’s okay then.” She chewed on her lip in an attempt to gather her nerves. Clicking her teeth together, she raised her voice louder than she usually did; though at that point, her “loud” was other people’s normal volume. “I-I wanted to know if you… If you wanted to…”

She sputtered and tensed, feeling both lightheaded and heavy at the same time. Nozomi’s fingers clenched at her phone, causing the plastic to creak beneath the pressure, and her other hand wrapped tightly around the hem of her skirt. After one more stutter, she blurted out, “Will you go on a date with me!?”

* * *

Kanji froze. Just... Froze. His phone began to slip from his grip, nearly falling out of his hand. He fumbled it back into place as his face went a bright scarlet. He wasn’t expecting such an abrupt confession from one so reserved. This time, it was his turn to stutter and tumble over his words. “W-Wait a second! Do ya know exactly what you’re sayin’ here!?”

His voice was louder than he wanted and he could practically feel her wince through the phone. He cursed himself under his breath for yelling at her. Kanji rubbed his burning face with a hand in an attempt to regain what little composure he had left. “Listen, I’m sorry about that. I’m not really good with confessions here. I don’t exactly get them a whole lot, y’know?”

“You’re fine, really.” She continued in her typical breathy voice, but he could hear her voice became a bit more confident as she continued, “But I do mean it. Kanji-kun, would you go on a date with me?”

He took in a deep breath to collect himself and ran a hand through his pale blonde hair. It was a whole lot to process. He wasn’t exactly the type of guy that girls were tripping over to ask on dates, so this was a new experience for him. He scratched at the back of his neck and pondered what to do.

“Kanji-kun?”

Nozomi’s voice pulled him back from his thoughts. Kanji hadn’t realized he’d gone completely silent and he coughed to clear his throat. “Y-Yeah. I’m here. Listen, I’m sorta new at this ya know, so I guess all I can say is… Yeah. I’m down to do this!”

“That’s great!” Relief could clearly be heard behind her voice as it became subdued once more. That was the Nozomi he knew. It almost made him chuckle and, he had to admit, it was kinda cute… Hearing her relax made him ease his stiff shoulders before he had to pull the phone away from his ear as voice after voice bombarded the other end of the phone.

“Shit, did all the Kanamin Kitchen girls hear all this!?” Kanji yelled into the receiver.

One by one the voices went silent until he heard an embarrassed laugh on the other end that he recognized as Kanami’s. “Sorry, Kanji. We couldn’t help ourselves! Once we heard Nozomi asked someone to hang out, we just had to listen in!”

“But this is even more surprising than I think any of us could imagine…” Tomoe idly chimed in. “To think, our quiet little Nozomin asking someone out. How brave of her!”

“I’m sure it’ll all work out! You’re a kind soul Kanji! You did help us out when all that weird stuff with the Love Meets Bonds Festival happened!” Sumomo was now in his ear. “I’m sure you’ll take good care of her!”

“And if you don’t,” Tamami’s voice carried with it an intimidating aura that made even Kanji shudder. “I’ll personally see to it that you apologize.”

“Y-Yes ma’am.” He ended up stuttering out himself with a dry gulp. His hands felt clammy all of a sudden and he sat with his back as straight as a board. “A-Anyways, Nozomi. How about Saturday? I don’t have to help my mom this weekend and I should be done making the fall items by then. How’s that sound?”

Silence answered him for a couple moments before a timid sound that he could barely identify as a voice replied, “Yes. That’s fine. I’m off from practicing for a while… So it should be okay…”

“I’ll call ya when I get there, okay?” 

A meek reply came from the idol and it nearly melted his heart. “O-Okay. I’ll see you there. Bye Kanji…”

After saying his goodbyes, the silence around him was deafening until the sudden realization hit him. _‘Oh my God! I have a date! A date! With an idol no less! Holy shit, what did I just do!?’_

He was friends with Rise, sure, but that wasn’t exactly the same as this. His hands were frantically running through his hair over and over until his phone chimed with a text message. The screen lit up and it was listed as Nozomi’s number. It read: _I’m nervous, but I know it’ll be okay because I’ll be with you Kanji! Can’t wait to see you this weekend..._

Yet another blush flushed his cheeks and ears and he just sat there, staring at the screen in awe, until another message pinged from her.

_Almost forgot… <3_

And if his face wasn’t on fire then, it surely was now. Kanji pressed his palm against his face to cover the furious blush. His heart was pounding while he wrestled with what to reply to her with. His tongue felt sticky and parched as he wracked his brain. Picking his phone back up, he finally replied.

_Yeah. Can’t wait to see ya too._

His thumb hovered over the send button before he grit his teeth and added his own heart to the message.

_‘God, that was embarrassing…’_ He thought and threw his phone down onto the cushion next to him. He flopped back into the couch, heaving a sigh, and draped his arm over his eyes. _‘Well, too late now… A date, huh? Maybe it’ll work out...’_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I have no idea how long this'll be? I just really wanted to get some Kanji/Nozomi out there, if I'm gonna be honest.


	2. Awkward

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rise attempts to lighten the mood between her two painfully awkward friends.

Kanji stood in the large, empty lobby of Takura Productions, the idol agency that both Rise and the Kanamin girls were a part of. It was eerily quiet since it was typically bustling with people running back and forth between rehearsal rooms and completing errands. Bright fluorescent lights lit up the large entryway and displays of their top idols were scattered around the space. He could pick out the one of Rise that had her in one of the outfits he helped create and he puffed his chest out a bit with pride to noone in particular. Another, rather large cutout of Kanamin Kitchen was next to that, showcasing each girl in their signature outfits. He recognized one of the doors nearby as the costume department where he’d usually spend his days while visiting by helping mend costumes or even design new ones. He almost wished he was here for that instead of anxiously waiting for Nozomi to show up.

He called her while on the train ride over and she said she would be right there, thought it would take her a minute since she lived a bit away from the studio. Either way, the wait was excruciating. Kanji grumbled nonsense to himself, kicking one of his shoes against the shining, polished floor to make it squeak, and hooking his thumbs into his belt loops before he was interrupted by a familiar voice.

“Kanji-kun? What are you doing here?”

He turned around to notice Rise in one of her practice outfits and exiting one of the many rehearsal rooms. Her face was ever-so slightly flushed red from exertion when she approached him. A bewildered expression was clear on her face once she closed the distance. “Almost everyone’s on break, so I didn’t expect to see you here. Were you hoping to get some more work done on those costumes before the tour?”

She seemed genuine with her questioning and he figured he could trust her with what was bothering him. “A-Actually, it’s something else. Promise you won’t tell the others? I’d probably never hear the end of it from Yosuke and Teddie. Especially Teddie.”

“Yeah, of course! You can tell me anything Kanji, you know that.”

“Well… I’m kinda meeting up with someone here… For a date.”

“Ooo, a date you say?” Her innocent facade quickly dropped and eased into a knowing smirk. “Do tell.”

He didn’t notice the shift in her attitude at all as he continued on to explain, “Y-Yeah, with Nozomi.”

“I can’t believe she did it! Way to go Nozomi!” Rise piped up with surprising energy. Kanji stared at her in disbelief from her rather nonchalant response. A giggle caused her shoulders to shake until she winked in his direction, playfully sticking her tongue out in the process. “How do you think she got your address for the letter and who do you think convinced her to ask you out?”

It took a moment for Kanji’s brain to figure out what Rise was implying before the gears suddenly clicked into place and fired on all cylinders. He sputtered a bit, shoving his hands into his pockets. “You really gave her my address? And you knew how she felt about me!? Not cool Rise!”

“Aw, c’mon Kanji! Taking away a girl’s confession just isn’t right!” She pouted in response and crossed her arms in a huff. “Though I wish I was there to see you say yes to her. I’m sure you were both just blushing messes!”

“Will ya knock it off!?”

“You know I can’t do that, Kanji. You’re just too much fun to tease sometimes!”

As they fought back and forth, neither noticed Nozomi quietly slip into the lobby. She stood in the entrance with a bemused look until her light, musical laughter caused the two bickering friends to quit their banter. A slight smile was partially hidden behind one of her hands. “You two sure seem to get along well. I usually don’t get to see you both talking without the other girls. It’s refreshing.”

Kanji’s voice caught in his throat when he finally turned towards the other idol. Her auburn hair was swept away from her face and kept in place with a small, white hair clip. She was wearing a white sleeveless shirt, dark brown shorts, and simple canvas sneakers. A rather plain looking bag was draped over her shoulders, but he could see it was well worn and loved. Despite her rather unassuming appearance, Kanji was breathless. Something about seeing her as she was instead of dolled up in her idol outfits had his heart skipping beats.

His eyes were wide and he didn’t realize he was staring until Nozomi’s cheeks flushed pink. She shrunk back into her shoulders, biting the corner of her lip, and tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. “I-Is everything alright? Did I over-prepare? Is there something on my face?”

“No! N-No, you look really nice!” Kanji sputtered and ran a hand through his own hair, soon rubbing the back of his neck. She let out a relieved sigh and pressed a hand against her chest. The small smile she gave him practically melted his heart.

“That’s good. I thought maybe I did something wrong.”

He swallowed; his tongue felt thick and stuck against the roof of his mouth, and he fumbled to think of something else to say. His face was slowly becoming warmer with his own blush until Rise chimed in.

“God, you two are just so hopeless! What would you have done if I wasn’t here, huh?” She sighed while rolling her eyes. Her mouth was turned up with a tiny, devilish grin as she took one of Kanji’s hands and began to pull him forward towards Nozomi. He pulled back against her, but she was surprisingly stronger than she let on. He was sputtering out nonsense when Rise stopped in front of her. She took Nozomi’s hand and pressed her palm into Kanji’s. “Honestly, you both would have just stood there and done nothing!”

Nozomi’s face lit up, turning red as an apple, and she hurriedly pulled her hand away from his. Before she did, Kanji took note of just how soft her skin was compared to his dry, rough hands and the sight of her now scarlet face made his heart flip inside his chest. _‘C… Cute…’_

“R-Rise, please! Don’t do that! I-I don’t know if I'm ready for that just yet!” She was clutching her hand to her chest all while berating the older idol. Even though she was being yelled at, Rise was still grinning ear to ear. She waved a hand dismissively, but her mischievous expression softened when she realized her clear distress.

“Aw, I’m sorry Nozomin. I had to try and lighten things up at least a little though. You were both just staring at each other, being all doe-eyed.”

Nozomi sighed. Her furious blush had lightened significantly, but it still lingered enough to tint her cheeks a pale pink. She tucked a small strand of hair behind her ear before turning back to Kanji. “Hey, um… I actually wanted to talk to Rise privately for a moment. Do you mind waiting just outside the door for a minute? I hate to ask you, but it’s not going to take long at all.”

“Uh, yeah, sure. I can do that. No problem.”

He was clearly confused as she rubbed the back of his neck. He was still thinking about that brief moment that their hands touched and the quick jolt of electricity that fired up his forearm from the action. Without another word, he left the two alone and made his way out onto the sidewalk just outside the agency.

* * *

Once Nozomi was sure that Kanji was out of earshot, her shoulders relaxed from another sigh. She fidgeted on the spot and glued her eyes to her feet. “So, Rise. I wanted to ask you to do something for me. Mostly because I’m worried I’ll mess this up…”

“Nozomin, you won’t mess up. I know you got this! I wouldn’t have pushed you to ask him out in the first place if I didn’t think you could.”

“I-I get that, but please. Just listen to my request?”

“Alright, alright. What’s the matter?”

“Well…” She bit the corner of her lip. “I wanted to know if you would… Watch over our date? Like, follow us or something?”

Rise was visibly confused at the strange request. Her brow furrowed and she tapped a manicured nail against her lips in thought. She mulled the request over and over again in her head until she finally shook it side to side.

“I’m sorry Nozomi, but I can’t do that. First, it’d be kinda weird and I wouldn’t want to basically stalk you guys. Second, and I’ll say it again, you got this.” She reached out to take the other’s hands in hers with a comforting smile spreading across her face. “I know you’re ready for this. It’s just… The next step in trying to show you’ve grown.”

“But I’m scared… What if Kanji ends up not liking me? Or what if I say or do something stupid?” Nozomi could feel her eyes welling up with tears and her voice threatened to crack as she went on to say, “I don’t know if I can do this.”

“Hey, hey, hey.” Rise tapped the bottom of her chin to get her to look up at her. She obeyed and one pair of brown eyes locked onto another. Nozomi noticed her confident smile that somehow made her feel at ease. She let out a soft sniff before Rise continued. “You’ll be okay. If it’ll make you feel better, you can call me if something goes wrong or if you need a pick me up. How’s that for a compromise then?”

Nozomi was worried that she’d start bawling then and there, so she responded with an intense nod, much to Rise’s relief. She gave her a reassuring squeeze to her hands before that familiar, teasing grin returned to her face. She spun the anxious idol around, causing her to flail her arms from the sudden motion, before she pushed her out of the door and practically making her barrel into Kanji. Thankfully, she caught her balance before she did just that.

“Now then! Go have fun you two! But not _too_ much fun!” Rise told them as she leaned out of the partially open door of Takura Productions. She flashed them a wink and stuck out her tongue before ducking back inside and out of sight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm slowly getting this to where I want it. This is proving to be a surprising challenge for me, but dang it, I'm gonna stick to my guns and see this through!


End file.
